The frictional characteristics, and therefore the tendency for shudder, of limited slip differentials are typically obtained by full scale vehicle testing, wherein a vehicle containing the differential is operated over a predetermined test cycle. According to a conventional test procedure, a limited slip differential is prepared and installed in a vehicle. The vehicle is driven for a predetermined number of miles over various surfaces. Evaluation of the clutch packs and fluids is conducted during the test procedure. However, the foregoing procedure requires an actual vehicle and reproduction of the test results may vary with ambient conditions used for testing.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simplified bench scale test procedure that can accurately predict the performance of clutch packs and fluids without conducting expensive vehicle testing.